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RUSSIA: Russia dismisses new Kosovo resolutio...
Duration: 2:09Source: ITN Source
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov calls latest United Nations draft resolution on Kosovo a dressed up old plan backed by the West. Lavrov also called for Britain not to politicise Lugovoy case. Russia attacked on Thursday (July 12) the latest United Nations draft resolution on the future of the province of Kosovo, saying it amounted to the same old Western-backed plan for independence dressed up in new language. Europeans and the United States have drafted a fresh U.N. resolution that would order 120 days of negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority but no longer automatically call for independence. "The main thing is that the problem of a decision on the independence of Kosovo has not been taken off the agenda, and behind diplomatic rhetoric which we hear in the project, we read the conclusion that after the 120 days of talks, even if the side would not reach an agreement, the Ahtisaari plan comes into effect and as you know we can only support the plan which is expectable for both sides, Pristina and Belgrade. So far we can not see any kind of agreement," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters after meeting his Ghanaian counterpart Nana Akufo-Addo. The document would be the third attempt to get agreement from Russia, which has veto power in the 15-nation U.N. Security Council. Moscow has said that Kosovo, a Serbian province, could not be severed without Belgrade's consent. A draft text of the new resolution, obtained by Reuters on Wednesday (July 11), called for European instead of U.N. supervision in an effort to end Serbia's role -- wording which is unlikely to please Moscow. Specifically the draft, subject to revision, follows a plan by U.N. mediator Martti Ahtisaari by deciding to put in place a European overseer and European-led police instead of the current U.N. mission. A move to European control in Kosovo would give Moscow less control than under the current U.N. arrangement and could be seen by Russia as an attempt to start moving towards independence for the province by stealth. Lavrov said it was positive that the new draft called for negotiations between the two sides to continue, although he added that the four months for talks was too little in his view. He also said the wording was positive in that it did not mention automatic independence for Kosovo but then reiterated Russia's long-standing position that it would only support a resolution that was acceptable for both sides. At the same news conference Lavrov urged Britain not to politicise the row over its refusal to extradite the key suspect in Alexander Litvinenko's murder, saying it should be dealt with strictly as a legal case. British officials have threatened unspecified steps against Russia for refusing to extradite Andrei Lugovoy, a former state security agent, to stand trial over the poisoning of Litvinenko in London last year. One of the options available to London is to expel Russian diplomats -- a possibility which revives memories of Cold War days and has alarmed officials here. "I always thought, and the British side confirmed, that this case is a criminal one and should be dealt with by corresponding authorities. And if it is confirmed, as the British media report, that the British foreign ministry is dealing with it, it becomes a political issue. We do not want to see it as political. We want it to be handled on the basis of existing legal law," Lavrov said. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official spokesman condemned Russia on Tuesday (July 10) for refusing to extradite Lugovoy, saying its response was "extremely disappointing". London's strong language has irritated Russian officials, who point out that their constitution prohibits the extradition of nationals. A senior pro-Kremlin legislator said London's reaction was "entirely inappropriate".
Rating: (0 ratings) Views: 6 Added: Apr 11, 2008
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Copyright: GRAPHIC / REUTERS
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